1. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to allowing one or more mobile devices registered with a femtocell base station as part of an alert group to be alerted to the same incoming call.
2. Background
Signals sent and received by mobile devices typically are transmitted wirelessly through the air as well as transmitted through wires. A macrocell base station may cover an outdoor cell site of about five kilometers to receive wireless signals from a relatively large number of mobile devices. The previously wireless signals then may be transmitted through wires into a telecommunications network.
About half the calls from mobile device are made from inside a home, whose construction may interfere with wirelessly transmitting the signal to a macrocell base station. Many more are made from inside office buildings, whose deep interiors and concrete walls may eliminate reception to a macrocell base station. Consumers find it desirable to have use of their mobile devices where ever they happen to be. Operators find it desirable to offload this traffic from their outdoor macrocell base stations. By not using the macrocell resources to provide in-building service, operators can provide better service to mobile users and with fewer expensive macrocell base stations.
In the early 2000s, companies looked into providing residential base stations, essentially an in-home base station that would communicate wireless signals from within the home and then send those signals into the telecommunications network through wires such as a residential digital subscriber line. The results of those efforts lead to the development of femtocell base stations. A femtocell base station is a small, box-sized device that may cover an indoor cell site of a few dozen to a couple hundred meters. A main advantage of a femtocell base station is that it allows users in a home or office to use their mobile device without concern that the walls of their building will significantly weaken their signal.
While femtocell base stations may cover a relatively small, geographic area, consumers often have multiple wireless handsets located throughout the home or office, each with a unique phone number. When a caller dials to reach a household, that call is routed to the phone identified by the unique phone number. This inconveniently may require a homeowner to carry that mobile device around the house to make sure that it may be reached when called. In addition, if the caller is trying only to contact someone within the house location rather than a particular person, the caller will need to try his or her luck with one number hoping that the dialed phone is in the house and within reach. It is desirable to address these and other issues.